Calm Before the Storm
by Skystar5
Summary: Magic is in the air. StarClan tricked, darkness rising, one hero from each Clan will rise from the shadows and wait- Where's ThunderClan's hero? The element of air is missing, with time running out. Love and betrayal, hopes and dreams, forgotten cats will rise to the surface in a battle that puts them all at risk. Co-written by Crystal Silvera
1. Allegiances and Prolouge

Allegiances

ThunderClan

Leader: Willowstar-Pale gray she-cat with back tabby stripes, pale green eyes

Deputy: Roseflight- Creamy brown she-cat, white brindle stripes

Medicine cat: Mistpool-Dark gray she-cat, white tipped fur

Apprentice-Snowflight- Snow white tom, amber eyes

Warriors:

Quickrain- Black and white tom

Greemwillow- Creamy brown tabby tom, green eyes

Lionfang- Thick furred golden she-cat, cream underbelly

Apprentice-Icepaw

Frozenstream- dark gray tom, silver paws

Bluestripe- Dark blue-gray tabby tom

Rabbitfoot- light ginger she-cat, white rings around ankles

Deepsun- A gold and gray tabby tom

Sharpflash- Pale yellow she-cat amber eyes

Apprentice- Brightpaw

Oakfall- Deep chestnut colored tom

Honeybee- Golden she-cat with pale gray stripes

Apprentice- Dawnpaw

Darkhawk- Slim black she-cat yellow eyes

Loudsong- Thickset brindle tom

Apprentice- Sheerpaw

Cedartail- reddish brown tabby tom

Yellowmoon- bright yellow tom, bog amber eyes

Swiftpelt- lithe black she-cat gray tabby stripes

Apprentice-Thornpaw

Shinefur- pale golden brown she-cat blue eyes

Apprentices:

Icepaw- White she-cat, blue eyes

Brightpaw- pale ginger she-cat

Dawnpaw- white she-cat, amber eyes

Sheerpaw- Gray and white tabby she-cat, gray eyes

Thornpaw- golden brown tabby tom

Queens:

Robinstreak- A patchwork she-cat of different shades of brown, mother of Lilykit, Quailkit, Stormkit, and Sapkit

Littlerose- small cream she-cat, mother of Thickkit

Kits:

Lilykit- Dark brown tabby she-kit, white patches

Quailkit- tortoiseshell tom

Stormkit- Dark blue tom, black stripes

Sapkit- creamy amber she-kit

Thickkit- A thick set cream tom, thick walnut tabby stripes

Elders:

Duckbeak- Fluffy white tom, plumy tail and whiskers

Pinksky- pale gray she-cat, bright pink nose

Frogfur- Dark brown she-cat with black and white patches

Mousefoot- brown short-furred tabby she-at

ShadowClan

Leader: Mirestar, dark black and brown tabby she-cat with pale green eyes

Deputy: Nighthawk, black tomcat with piercing amber eyes

Medicine cat: Birchpool, light brown tabby she-cat with large blue pool-like eyes and white paws, underbelly, and tail tip

Apprentice- Sagepaw

Warriors:

Darkstealth, black-grey tomcat with dark amber eyes

Apprentice- Nightpaw

Badgerstripe, black she-cat with a long white mark from her nose to her tailtip

Apprentice Thornpaw

Crowwing, black tomcat with piercing blue eyes

Treeshadow, dark brown tabby she-cat with amber eyes

Shrikecall, smoky grey she-cat with deep green eyes

Apprentice Russetpaw

Firegleam- A bright orange tom swirled with red and gold, long furred glossy pelt

Rowanleaf, brown and black tabby tomcat with sharp green eyes

Apprentice Twilightpaw

Spidertail, deep grey she-cat with dark blue eyes

Petalfall, white she-cat with pale green eyes

Apprentice Mousepaw

Apprentices:

Sagepaw, tortoiseshell she-cat with dark, clever green eyes

Nightpaw, black tomcat with dark blue eyes

Thornpaw, grey she-cat with white paws, underbelly, and tailtip and pale green eyes

Russetpaw, reddish-russet tomcat with sharp amber eyes

Twilightpaw, pale grey she-cat with blue eyes that are slightly purplish

Mousepaw, brown tabby tomcat who's smaller than average and blue eyes

Queens:

Smokemist, silver-white she-cat with pale blue eyes

Stoneshine, grey tabby she-cat with white underbelly, paws, and tail tip and amber eyes

Mother of Silverkit, Owlkit, and Midnightkit

Mapleleaf, tortoiseshell she-cat with green eyes

Mother of Dappledkit and Pebblekit

Kits:

Silverkit, silver she-cat with piercing blue eyes

Owlkit, brown tabby tomcat with amber-gold eyes

Midnightkit, all-black tomcat with light blue eyes

Dappledkit, tortoiseshell she-cat with amber eyes

Pebblekit, grey tabby tomcat with dark blue eyes and white paws

Elders:

Toadwhisker, dark brown tabby tomcat with sharp green eyes

Raventail, black she-cat with the slightest hint of grey at her tail and sky-blue eyes

Icefang, silver-white tomcat with piercing blue eyes

WindClan

Leader: Guststar, grey tabby tomcat with light blue eyes

Deputy: Eagleflight, brown striped she-cat with piercing golden eyes

Medicine cat: Breezesong, silvery she-cat with deep pool-like blue eyes and white paws and tail

Apprentice- Goldenpaw

Warriors:

Swiftwind, light golden tabby she-cat with pale green eyes, mother of Goldenpaw

Apprentice- Quickpaw

Cloudsky, solid white tomcat with sky-blue eyes

Brightsun, sun-gold she-cat with amber eyes and white paws and tail

apprentice Duskpaw

Stormgaze, grey tabby tomcat with fierce dark blue eyes

Pebblestream- A pale gray tom with dark gray ears, paws, ankles, tail tip underbelly and under muzzle.

Emberlight, orange-gold she-cat with pale amber eyes and faded tabby marks

Apprentice- Larkpaw

Whitestone, palest grey tomcat with strange blue-white eyes

Glimmerleaf, tortoiseshell she-cat with deep amber eyes and white paws and tail

Mireshine, brown tabby she-cat with piercing green-gold eyes

Apprentice- Nightpaw

Thistletail, light grey-brown tomcat with darker tail and pale blue eyes

Apprentice- Galepaw

Birdfern, palest grey she-cat so that she looks white and green eyes

Apprentices:

Goldenpaw, golden tabby tomcat with light green eyes

Duskpaw, dark grey she-cat with pale amber eyes and black eartips

Larkpaw, deep brown tabby tomcat with blue eyes and white underbelly, tail, and paws

Nightpaw, all-black she-cat with stormy-sky-dark-blue eyes

Galepaw, pale brown tabby with amber eyes

Queens:

Rosedawn, reddish tabby she-cat with light amber eyes

Mother of Blizzardkit, Berrykit, and Kestrelkit

Poppystep, grey she-cat with dark amber eyes and blackened paws and tail tip

Sungleam, golden she-cat with piercing green eyes and white underbelly

Mother of Skykit and Snowkit

Kits:

Blizzardkit, grey-white tomcat with deep grey-blue eyes

Skykit, pale gold she-cat with sky-blue eyes

Snowkit, pure white she-cat with green eyes

Berrykit, brown tabby tomcat with amber eyes and white paws, underbelly, and tail tip

Kestrelkit, slightly paler brown tabby tomcat with blue eyes

Elders:

Granitefoot, mottled grey tomcat who lost his sight in a battle, causing his eyes to be permanently lost

Stoattooth, brown-gold tabby she-cat with, you guessed it, unnaturally long teeth and amber eyes

Mooncloud, silver-white she-cat with deep blue eyes and silver streaks along her pelt

RiverClan

Leader: Shadestar- Tall dark gray tabby tom, graying muzzle

Deputy: Hushpine- dark brown tabby she-cat, white under muzzle

Medicine cat: Softstream- lithe pale gray she-cat

Warriors:

Smokeflame- Ashen gray she-cat, white paws

Blackstripe- White tom, black brindle

Redtail- Russet she-cat with golden cream under belly, and tail-tip

Silverheart- Thick furred silver tabby she-cat, fluffy tail

Shiningmoon- Pale gold she-cat green eyes

Shimmerleaf- Light brown tabby she-cat

Squirrelfoot- reddish brown tom

Pikedawn- Steel-blue tabby tom

Sunheart- Dark golden she-cat lighter tabby stripes

Apprentice- Peachpaw

Pondpelt- Thick furred black and brown tom

Rosefur- skinny creamy gold she-cat

Crimsonsun- bright russet tabby tom

Apprentice- Smallpaw

Darkfur- short furred black tom

Splashtail- white tom blue gray patches

Apprentice- Waterpaw

Cloudwhisker- A white she-cat with very pale gray tipped fur

Cherrynose- thin muscular tortoiseshell she-cat

Apprentice- Applepaw

Rabbitear-course furred gray-brown tom

Gentlewave- small light ginger she-cat

Apprentices:

Peachpaw- A peachy orange gold she-cat

Smallpaw- lithe white she-cat

Waterpaw –thick set brindle tom

Applepaw- tall dark red brown she-cat dappled with gold

Queens:

Cloudfoot- sleek thick furred white she-cat, mother of Sunkit, Skykit, and Stormkit

Poppyear- tall crimson she-cat mother of Tallkit, and Rowankit

Kits:

Sunkit- golden she-kit

Skykit- swirled white and pale gray tom

Stormkit- a pale brown she-cat with black specks

Tallkit- a cream tom with light brown tabby stripes

Rowankit- reddish brown tom

Elders:

Yarrowtail- A dark gold she-cat with green eyes

Moonstream- pure white tom with gray ears, tailtip, undermuzzle, and feet

Gurgleleaf- mottled blue-gray tom, gray eyes

Cats outside of Clans:

Raine- Tall white she-cat with silver-gray flecks all over back

Sunset- A golden she-cat with white ears, a white spot above her nose, and white and black flecks, rings in pattern of gold, silver, and black on tail. White tail-tip, bright blue eyes.

Smokey- Misty gray tom, white tabby stripes

Badger- gray tom, thick black stripe from muzzle to tail tip in back.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ PROLOGUE ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

She couldn't get the taunting laughter out of her head.

It had been on the moonlit Gathering, when the chosen ones were to be selected. It was simple as one from each Clan - and yet no cat had been the one for ThunderClan.

Willowstar shook her head angrily._ Air!_ Who controls the _air_?!

Firegleam of ShadowClan had so gracefully created a single river of fire, winding lightly through the air as he commanded, and finally hardening into a perfect stone the color of flames that he allowed to melt into the ground . . .

Sweet young Cloudwhisker from RiverClan had been able to form an elegant river. Then, before she allowed it to flow into the lake, she levitated a single rose of frozen river-water, and then shattered it in the air, the rose turning to steam . . .

And even pathetic _WindClan_ had a victor: A stand-in-the-shadows-tom named Pebblesteam who had created a mountain of earth from the center of the island, and then let a huge vine climb around his creation before crushing it. Large clumps of mud had then rained down, and so repaired the ground, so that it appeared untouched. . . .

_Why had ThunderClan not had a hero?_ Each Clan had one - wasn't that what the Dream had told her?

Willowstar hissed her fury at the dark sky and the moonlight's silver glow as she stormed into her den, cold stone stinging her pads as they slammed down. The ThunderClan leader roughly growled to the empty den, and with a mighty swipe her bedding was sent flying. Willowstar stomped over to the largest wad of moss and laid down, her head on her paws.

Slowly, inky black took over Willowstar's vision as uneasy sleep enveloped her. She found herself in an endless forest of darkness; there was a faint acknowledgement of shapes of trees that were just bold enough so she wouldn't run into them.

Yet what caught her attention was that at the edge of her vision, there was light. It was a pale, sky blue, just a faint dot.

But there was still light.

The ThunderClan leader whirled around, hoping and searching for a way out of the dark dream. Willowstar sprinted to the tiny dot of light. As far as she ran, the light did not seem to near - in fact, it seemed to move further away away as she streaked towards it. Fueled by anger, Willowstar ran faster than she had ever run before -

And suddenly the light was there, right in front of her. Willowstar stared at the hovering thing emitting all the light - it was a small, pale blue tear-shaped crystal, shining with brilliance and yet seeming so delicate.

An ominous voice surrounded the pale gray leader as she stared at the tiny gem.

"Trust the approaching storm!" the voice sounded. "Trust the approaching storm!"

Willowstar awoke with a gasp. Her breathing was labored as she tried to get her fear under control.

_Okay. It was obviously a prophecy from StarClan,_ she thought. _Sort it out._

"Trust the approaching storm"? Willowstar racked her mind for names. All she could think of was Stormkit, a young kit born to Robinstreak three moons ago. Would she truly have to wait? Three moons? Until he was an apprentice? Until Stormkit became a warrior? Seven _more _moons?

No, he could not be the savior.

The approaching storm? A _snow_storm perhaps? Willowstar closed her eyes. Could Snowflight, the medicine cat apprentice, be the hero who controls air?

But no. Soft-spoken as he was, Snowflight would have spoken up for the sake of his Clan. Approaching storm . . . who could StarClan be talking about? For the sake of her Clan - and for the sake of her sanity - Willowstar needed to know who the storm was pointing to.

Stretching, Willowstar got up and planned to go speak to Mistpool, the medicine cat would know what to do. Mistpool could help her contact StarClan, and she could ask them to be a bit clearer. Thoughts flashed though her head: To tell the Clan, or to not tell the Clan? The question whirled around in her mind until it was all she could focus on.

Willowstar was so distracted that she didn't hear the soft pitter-patter of paws as her deputy sauntered in.

"Morning, Willowstar."

Still groggy, confused, and slightly in shock, Willowstar just stared quizzically at her peered at her leader's face curiously, wondering if she was sleepwalking - or sleep-_talking_.

"Everything all right, Willowstar?" asked Roseflight cautiously.

Willowstar blinked a few times, trying to clear her thoughts, and at last replied calmly,

"Everything's fine, Roseflight."


	2. Chapter 1

**It only took us this long but here it is, chapter 1! We take our time with our writing and edit that's all! :D So enjoy chapter 1!**

Chapter 1

_I have to find inner peace. I just _have_ to . . ._

Slowly, I closed my eyes and began to focus my mind. As silence fell around me, I heard a soft wind rustle the nearby bushes and I—slightly hesitantly—tapped into that energy. I heard the wind stop, the air still.

A rush of energy suddenly flowed into my tail, surging towards my mind. Strands of bright, shining silver crossed the darkness of my closed eyes, but they didn't bother me. They flickered across my vision began to wind together like spider silk, the thick swirls woven together that slowly leaked towards my power reserve.

In the area where I stopped the wind I could hear it picking back up just as one luminous wisp of the silver rivers touched the reserve of energy and power. It lit up, gaining strength and width as the power poured through my body. I could hear the wind beginning to rise in volume. My tail slowed again but the breeze continued.

I opened my eyes.

There in the bushes where I left the wind was a petite twister picking up leaves. I dared to smile, and lifted my paw off the ground—and then at a snail's speed I dragged it through the air . . . and to my delight the twister followed. It moved side to side, according to which direction my foot moved.

Curious, I pulled the swirling twister over a pile of gold-flower leaves. Fiery colors were plucked from the earth and pushed into the vortex of air. I pushed word _"focus"  
_to the front of my mind as I guided the dancing wind to the other side of the clearing.

But then it all became too much. The weight lifted off of me and I sighed, hanging my head: I felt drained. I trudged over to a corner of the clearing where Sunset stood, a mouse dangling from her jaws. She let it plummet to the ground, a bright smile plastered on her face.

"That was _amazing_, Raine!" she exclaimed, trotting towards me. I nodded wearily, knees buckling, and lunged forward for the mouse. I gulped down the small morsel and wished for more. As the prey settled down into my stomach, buds of energy set down roots in my system and wisps of spirit flowed through me.

"You okay, Rae?" Again I nodded meekly and laid down, trying to move as little as possible.

"I was wrong," I whispered, my voice voice hoarse. "That took more energy than I expected." Sunset purred, sunlight bouncing off of her golden pelt. I managed a smile.

"Good thing I brought this, then!" Sunset whipped out a fresh squirrel from nearby a rock she'd been sitting on when watching the twister and threw it at me.

_"Squirrel!"_ I cried, getting up and leaping at the dead creature. I pounced on it, devouring the squirrel and a welcomingly fresh wave of energy hit me. I bashfully smiled, gazing downward. "Thank you, Sunset," I murmured. The white-eared cat laughed again.

"It's the least I can do . . . for my friend with the awesome freaky powers!" I rolled my eyes, blue turning upwards to the blue.

"I've already explained it: I don't know how or why or whatever. I was born like this!"

"I know, I know, _I know_. But it's so cool! You could become a legend! Like, I don't know, save the world or something with your awesome freaky powers. Your name could go down in history! I can see it now, 'Raine the cat with the wind kiss!'" Sunset giggled.

"Stop it!" I gently rammed into my best friend. "Stop it!" She continued to laugh and taunt me with "Wind Kiss!"

"Sunny! I said stop it!" She suddenly stood rigid and stared at me, her eyes narrowed, then screeched, "My name is _not_ Sunny!"

I laughed and began to call the name as Sunset chased me around the clearing. The she-cat began to chant "Wind Kiss, Wind Kiss!" and I countered with "Sunny, Sunny!"

As the golden cat hurdled after me, I stopped short and then leaped high in the air so that Sunset charged harmlessly beneath my body. Sunset crashed straight into a bush, she pulled herself out laughing and trying to get my attention.

"All right, all right, I give in. But why don't you want other cats to know about your powers? I mean, you could do so _much_!"

I gave her the same speech I always gave her.

"Because I would have so many favors asked of me, and I would be expected to be a hero . . . and then somehow I would be expected to be perfect and the pressure, the pressure . . ."

Sunset rolled her eyes and finished the sentence in a bored voice:

"The pressure would crack down on you and you'd be a loony bird trying to fly off a cliff and that would be the end the Raine the cat with the Wind Kiss. I know."

"Thank you."

Sunset rolled her eyes one more time before walking away. Before she left, she turned back to me, dark shadows beneath her eyes.

"Not even your brother?" she asked.

I matched her even tone. "Not even my brother."

She nodded seriously, and then a lighter, happier mood spread over her face.

"I'm going to head back now. I need a nap!"

I nodded and stumbled along after her. . . . I needed a nap too.

_Current home_

Back at home, or at least what was currently "home," Sunset and I found Smokey (my brother) curled up in the shade of a tall beech tree. He lifted his gray-and-white head, sleep clouding his eyes.

"Sunaine! Raset!" he murmured, light yellow eyes barely open. I purred a bit before retreating to small holly bush with the inside of the plant dried away. I flinched at the sharp leaves before they gave away in an empty space, with a small moss nest in the center. I yawned and curled up in the nest—_my_ nest. All I needed now was time to rest and get my strength back . . .

I dreamed I was awake in a field—more accurately described as a moor—of stars and winking starlight. Confused, I looked up and found more stars in the sky. It was silent, a sound I was slightly used to. But only slightly.

Even so, the silence was ruined as a voice spoke softly:

_"Raine."_

I flinched and scanned my surroundings as quick as I could. Nothing but . . . stars. Well, big surprise there. "Who said that?"

"_Shhh._ I'm not supposed to be here." A cat stepped forward, melting away from the background of stars. My breath caught in my throat when I saw that the tom, too, was almost . . . made . . . of stars and starlight. "Don't be afraid. My name is Swiftpaw. I'm here to help you."

_Swiftpaw? What kind of name is that? _ I thought.

The black and white cat made a face, which was when I realized I'd said that aloud. "It's because I'm not a rogue, Raine. I'm a former apprentice of ThunderClan."

I blinked. "ThunderClan? You mean those feral cats who eat their enemies' bones and drink their blood?" She didn't seem aggressive.

Swiftpaw cracked a small smile and purred, star-filled eyes sparkling. "Oh no, those are just rumors. We get into fights, certainly, but we aren't cannibals. We just act like we are because it keeps the annoying kittypets away."

I purred, too. That was understandable; some kittypets were an absolute pain. "Right. So is this just one of my crazy nonsense dreams or is this real?"

Swiftpaw's pale eyes darkened. "Oh, this is real all right. I wish it wasn't, but it is." He glanced around us nervously again.

"Raine, you must find ThunderClan. Without you and your powers, they—and the rest of the Clans—_will have no hope_."


	3. Chapter 2

_**Skystar5: **__Hi world! So this is chapter 2, as you see. I'd like to make a point of saying that I'm just a little bit tired that our two reviews are complaints… So if you have read this story and have encouraging words, I would love to hear them at this point. __(Hint, hint) __and Gentlekit, I'm sorry the Raine's name is Raine not Rain. But I have creativity… So just read past it… And I know how to spell rain thank you very much, my first freaking language is English. Just saying. Thank you for your time and I love you Readers! __(I love reviewers even more… hint, hint ;-)_

_**AN2:** Alright, this is an edited version of the chapter, so I hope you enjoy. Thanks DauntlessFlame for the idea I'm happy with how it worked out!_

_Chapter 2_

_"Will have no hope"?_

I blinked at the young cat. "Can't they defend themselves? What use will I be to those Clan cats?"

Swiftpaw purred, but amber eyes showed that he wasn't in the least bit amused. "You're special, Raine. Don't think we haven't been watching you and your . . . powers."

My eyes narrowed. "I didn't tell anyone but Sunset, and she'd never tell."

"No one _told_ me, Raine. I saw you."

This time, I backed away from the black and white tom, feeling suspicious and confused and—oh, all right, scared. "There was no one with me but Sunset," I hissed.

Swiftpaw sighed, annoyance creeping into his voice, and gazed beyond me, towards the starry plain. "It's still strange to know that there are cats who don't believe in StarClan, who don't live by the warrior code and in the safety of Clans," he said softly, half to himself. Then he met my eyes squarely.

"Our four Clans have been given a cat with control over one element each. Water for RiverClan, earth for WindClan, fire for ShadowClan. . . . Yet, the cat with control over air has not shown themselves yet. Or, as I say, haven't been found." Swiftpaw regarded me grimly. "And I think I've finally found her."

I backed away even more, flattening my ears and trying to look as threatening as I could. "_No._I won't leave Sunset and Smokey!"

To my surprise, Swiftpaw only sighed and didn't attack me as I thought he would. I guess Clan cats were more dignified than I thought.

"Sunstar, could you help me a bit here?"

_Sunstar? . . . And I thought it wouldn't get any weirder after Swiftpaw. Looks like I was wrong._

As another tom stepped into the moor, I could finally tell why she was called Sunstar; even though he was just as starlight-y as Swiftpaw, he was much more . . . well . . . _yellow._ I mean honestly, this tom looked like he gone to the sun and robbed it of it's shiny brightness and color.

"Hello, Raine," said Sunstar pleasantly. I swallowed. For some reason, Sun-cat here seemed to radiate power to an extent. "Um, hi."

Both Sunstar and Swiftpaw purred, genuinely this time. "Yes, being one of the past leaders of ThunderClan makes me so much more scary," meowed Sunstar, her eyes alight with amusement.

I blinked. "Wait. _'Past'?_" To myself, I thought, _What's that supposed to mean?_

"Well, you see . . . if you haven't realized, you're in StarClan. And StarClan is where most Clan cats go when they die," said Sunstar patiently.

The statement and the relaxed way Sunstar said it took me aback. "So you're . . . _dead_?"

"It doesn't offend us as much as it used to," mused Swiftpaw, "But, yes. We are among the spirits now." He ducked his head and whispered "Mouse-brained dog..."

The words made me shiver inside my pelt. "So tell me again: What do you need me for, exactly?"

"You are, in your own way, the Clans' final hope in the darkness ahead," replied Sunstar, his yellow eyes narrowing.

"How?" I snapped, lashing my tail. I was losing my patience; I wanted a nice, dreamless, restful sleep without any mention of dead cats or hopes or darkness.

"You're the one who controls air. The one cat ThunderClan—and the other Clans—need to survive."

And the scene faded into darkness.

My eyes snapped open. I realized I was breathing heavily, as if I'd run a long way, and Sunset and Smokey were standing over me, looking concerned.

"Well, Wind Kiss is awake," said Sunset, her tone light but her eyes dark with worry. "Wha—What happened?" I asked hoarsely.

"You started thrashing around in your sleep and nearly smashed your head against the tree," replied Smokey, nodding at the huge beech tree. I blinked. At first, the giant had looked like welcoming shelter, a peaceful guardian. Now, it seemed slightly formidable and rather threatening.

"You're fine now, and that's all that matters," declared Sunset as I shakily stood. Smokey shot her a look, then muttered, "I guess." He paused thoughtfully. "We should move on, find a new home. Which way, Raine? It's your turn this time."

I grinned. _Maybe destiny and fate or whatever does want me to find ThunderClan._A new thought occurred to me. _Swiftpaw, Sunstar, . . . and StarClan. . . .__Is this your doing?_

"Follow me." I lifted my head. "We're going to find ThunderClan."

_StarClan_

"I've been doubtful, but I think we have a chance now."

Bluestar purred drily. "Ironic of you of all cats to say so, Firestar."

He lashed his tail and shot his old mentor a sideways glance. "Well, rogues are different. They've relied on themselves for so long, they might have forgotten how to live in a large group and the idea might not appeal to them."

Bluestar dipped her head slightly at the orange leader. "True enough."

There was a pause of respect as Thunderstar joined them, his amber eyes dark. "Do you think the Clans will have the strength to pull through?"

_"They have to,"_ replied Bluestar firmly. "We didn't outlast BloodClan, the forest's destruction, and the Dark Forest to fall to this!"

"This is a different kind of threat." Firestar's eyes flashed with fury. "This time, they aren't just up against one group. They're up against the past, the future, and the world itself."

"Are you saying the Dark Forest is trying to cause trouble again, Firestar?" There was a sharp edge to Thunderstar's voice that make Firestar flinch.

"In a way. . . . Tigerstar and Brokenstar may have had their fill of blood for now, but there are other enemies who haven't. Other enemies who thought the plan of recruiting apprentices too mousebrained."

Thunderstar nodded tightly. "Yes. Dangerous leaders who led Clans before our Clans."

Both leaders were taken aback. "Clans before the Clans?"

Thunderstar nodded again. "Even before the time of the three Tribes."

"That's . . ." Firestar trailed off. "A long time ago."

"Very." Thunderstar stood, his eyes narrowed. "Before, the Clans were known as AirClan, EarthClan, WaterClan, and FireClan. . . . And, like the current SkyClan, there was RockClan but they were also banished." The huge leader paused. "In a way, their history reflects our own times. And, like us, they had their own enemies like Tigerstar."

"And they are who the Clans are up against." Bluestar's voice was emotionless.

"Yes."

"What do they plan to do to the Clans, exactly?"

Thunderstar's eyes narrowed even further. After a long silence, he murmured at last, "I don't know."

**Alrighty, time for A/N! :D**

_**Crystal Silvera:**_

**Firstly, thanks to anyone who's reading this! So far, I've been a bit annoyed—okay, fine, very annoyed—by some parts of the reviews we've been getting. So . . . here're my responses!****  
****McLovesMinecraft, first reviewer: ****Hey, it's **_**allegiances**_**. Half of the Warriors fanfictions I've seen have allegiances as the entire first chapter, and then the first chapter as the second. I haven't seen any of those being reported though. :)****  
****Gentlekit, Guest: ****Spelling? 'Kay, you're talking to a spelling freak here. Raine's name is the result of something called creative word alteration, and in chapter one the part where Smokey says, "Sunaine, Raset," he mixed up the last parts of their names, showing that he was tired. Oi. ****  
****Well, are there any other readers out there with some slightly more positive things to say? If so . . . please do tell! Skystar and I have been slightly disappointed at the amount and content of feedback we've been receiving. I personally want some constructive criticism (mostly at how we can improve this story) and where we've been doing well. Thanks! (Also, if anyone wants another Warriors story to read, check out my**_**Destiny of Four**_**! ;D)**


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